Month: June 2010

Well, I jumped the gun a bit thinking my internet access issues were solved. Still have only limited and intermittent access. Now, some of you will note that you’ve seen me comment elsewhere, so I ought to be able to write.

No. See, I don’t have the time to visit all my usual haunts, and then cogitate on the stories of the day. And if I can’t add something useful, I don’t want to add anything. Except Load HEAT. I’ll at least try to keep that coming…

I don’t watch American Idol, but even I know who the winner of the first series was- Kelly Clarkson.

I can listen to her music, and I like that she’s not some “singer” manufactured by producers just because she’s pretty. She’s pretty, but not some rail thin waif that someone grafted a music career onto.

When the Army transitioned from the Battle Dress Uniform to the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) one of the changes that surprised me was doing away with buttons in favor of velcro tapes to close the pockets. Velcro is handy, but it doesn’t last very well, particularly after repeated washings.

Not surprisingly, the velcro tapes were popular in garrison, where they present a tidy appearance. But they weren’t very popular with grunts in the field, since the cargo pockets of soldiers in the field are almost always jam-packed with various and sundry items. And velcro just won’t hold them closed.

The Army isn’t quite as bad as the Navy or the Air Force when it comes to designing uniforms, but the decision to use velcro was stupid, and an entirely self inflicted wound. I can’t tell you how many man-years and millions of dollars were spent developing the ACU, but I can tell you this- a five minute conversation with an infantryman would have told the Army that velcro just doesn’t work for cargo pockets.